Genesis of a super name

The term “super PAC” has become omnipresent, uttered daily by political notables ranging from presidential candidates to comedian Stephen Colbert.

But its genesis is largely a mystery.

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So a memo to dictionary editors: If you decide to someday list “super PAC” in your pages — it refers to political committees that may raise and spend unlimited money to independently support or oppose candidates — be sure to call veteran political scribe Eliza Newlin Carney for help with its etymology.

Carney, a Roll Call reporter, made the first identifiable, published reference to “super PAC” as it’s known today while working at National Journal, prophetically writing on June 26, 2010, of a group called Workers’ Voices — a kind of “’super PAC’ that could become increasingly popular in the post- Citizens United world.”

And Carney’s wording wasn’t accidental.

“I very much wanted to consciously develop a term to avoid using, every time I wrote something, ‘independent expenditure-only political action committee.’ I knew they were going to be a big deal, and I knew I was going to write about these committees all the time,” Carney told POLITICO. “Even today, I get questions from people wondering where ‘super PAC’ came from and why they’re called that. I’m always embarrassed to tell them. Some people don’t realize it’s not an official term – just shorthand.”

Does Carney feel a little famous now that her term has caught political fire thanks to super PACs already spending into the tens of millions of dollars this election cycle?

“Fame would be far too strong a word,” she said, quickly joking, “but you take your victories where you can get them in this business.”

Turns out that one of the world’s preeminent word authorities is watching.

After scouring an in-house database, Merriam-Webster Associate Editor Kory Stamper told POLITICO that The Capital Times in Madison, Wis., used the term in an article in April 1993 — the earliest citation on record.

But that long-forgotten mention referred to an altogether different type of political organization unrelated to contemporary super PACs.

“‘Super PAC’ then dropped out of sight until 2010,” Stamper explained.

“We have evaluated it for entry, but have not yet entered it into any of our dictionaries, probably because of the lapse between its first use and the boom in 2010,” Stamper said. “My guess is, however, that as much discussion as super PACs have been getting in the last few years, it will soon be eligible for entry.”